Bricklaying device



.my 22, 1924; v11,502,046

O. F. MANN L BRIGKLAYING DEVICE Filed April 1o, 1922 IWWWL /5 /0@scarf/Wann Patented July 22, i924.

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OSCAR F. MANN, 0F INDIANAPOLIS, NDANA.

BRICKLAYING DEVICE.

Application led April l0, 1922. Sera1 No. 551,040.

To all whom. t 'may conce/rn.

Be it known that I, Oscar: F. MANN, a'

citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, viu the countyof Marion and State of Indiana, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Brick Laying Devices, of which the following is aspecification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple guiding device forworkman, to be used in laying brick in vertical walls withsquare'corners and in true horizontal courses separated by uniformmortar-joints; for increasing the quantity of work done in a day, makingit easy for an unskilled workman to do good work; reducing the cost ofbuilding construction, and relieving the housing problem with which ourcountry is: confronted.

I accomplish the above and other objects which will hereinafter appear,by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawing7 in which- Fig.1, is a view in side elevation and partial vertical section, on the line1-1 of Fig. 2 of my invention in operative position at the corner of aproposed wall, and Fig. 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2 2 ofFig. 1.

The frame of my device comprises two, preferably wooden vertical members3 and 4, which are held in planes at right angles to each other andrespectively parallel with two walls cornering there, by metal straps15, here shown as three in number, but the number of straps used willdepend upon the lengths of the vertical members 3 and 4. Plates 5,preferably with a flange 6 at right angles, are secured to the members 3and 4, with the plates on those sides of said members where they willcontact the new walls 8, 8. The plates 5 are wide enough to extendbeyond the wooden members toward the corner of the wa'll, as shown inFig. 2, to act as inside guides for a movable corner gauge andline-carrier-box 9. Outside guides for the box 9 are formed by verticalmetal strips 10 as shown.

The frame members, thus joined together as a unit, are plumbed where thecorner wall of brick is to be laid, and is anchored at the bottom bynailing the frame-posts 3 and 4 to stakes 11 driven into the ground. Theupper end of the plumbed frame is held by diagonal wooden braces 25nailed to the tops of the wooden members 3 and 4,

and it is to particularly facilitate the nail ing in holding the framein plumbed position that the members Sand 4 aremade of wood;

Spirit levels 12 are mounted in the respective frame members 3 and 4, asshown, to I assist in plumb-ing the frame.

AThe corner-gauge box 9 is preferably made of sheet metal L-shape incross section, the members of the L being hollo-w and having their endsseated against the respective members 3 and 4, `with a sliding fitr be,-tween metal guides 'and y10. The inner walls of the box 9 serve asguides for laying the corner bricks, and to avoid direct interferenceand obstruction in placing the workman in laying the brick in courses.

The ends of the lines remote from the 'box 9 are made fast to a nail orthe like in the usual manner, or to another corner box and the other endis secured to a spool 20 upon which the surplus line is wound totightenthe outside portion of the line. The shaft 21 of spool 20 is journaledin the walls of theV box 9 and has a square projecting end to receive ahand-crank 22 for rotating the shaft and spool for tightening the line.A paWl 23 and ratchet 24 serve to hold the tension.

l have here shown this line-winding mechanism in triplicate wherebythree course of brick may be laid at one setting of the box, but thisnumber may be more or less, as desired. The cranks are removable and theprojecting ends of the shafts 21 are short enough to pass the straps 15in setting the box.

In` the operation of my invention the frame is set and plumbed for eachcorner of the wall to be laid, and a box 9 is moved in its guides to theright elevated position so the lines 19, running in two directions atright angles and clear around the building will locate the brickcourses. The lines 19 are then set and the wall is laid a course at atime until the top line is passed. Then the box is raised to the nexthigher position where the lines are set and the Wall carried up asbefore. lt the tautness of the lines does not hold the box securelyenough in place it may `be positively retained in the given position bydriving a nail under it into one of the Wooden iframe men'ibers.

fhile l have here shown the best form of my invention now known 'to me,it is capable of modification in details o.F construction and l do notdesire to be limited to 'the exact 'form shown or any more than isrequired by 'the appended claims; and what lf claim is:

l. In a device for laying brick, a pair of vertical frame members spacedapart on opposite sides oit a cerner ci a Wall, metal straps securingthe members together, and an angrlai` gaugeebox slidingly supported byhand between said frame members.

2. In a device for laying brick, a plurality of vertically spaced apartframe members, having vertical guides in adjacent sides, a plurality ofmetal straps uniting said vertical members, a gauge-box slidinglysupported in the guides by said frame members7 wor; lines entering' thebox and means in the box for making the lines taut.

`3. ln a device for laying brick, a pair ot vertical frame membersspaced apart on the opposite sides of a corner ofa Wall, and havingguides in their adjacent sides, straps connecting the frame memberstogether, an angular gauge-box sliding vertically in the guides andsupported by the lrame members, lines carried by the box for markingcourses of brick in the Wall and means carried by the box for making thelines taut.

4t. In a device for laying brick, a pair of vertical 'frame membersspaced apart on opposite sides of a corner or' a Wall, and having guidesin their adjacent sides7 straps connecting the frame members together,an angular gauge-box sliding vertically in the guides and supported bythe frame members, lines carried by the box and extending in planesdiverging from each other for marking courses of brick in the wall, andmeans for drawing the lines taut at the box.

Signed at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 1st day of March, 1922.

OSCAR F. MANN

